The Exhilaration of Driving

DNA Test

Performance happens when man and machine connect as one. When the car becomes an extension of the engineer’s dream and the driver’s will. When you stop thinking about control and start feeling it. When you start measuring performance in your heart instead of on a stopwatch, then you know it’s in your DNA.

Front view of a Tiger Eye Pearl 2021 Acura TLX Type S driving around a bend with sun glinting off the roof of the car. // Vue avant d’une Acura TLX Type S 2021 de couleur œil de tigre nacré avec des reflets du soleil sur le toit qui négocie un virage.

Precision Manufacturing Center (PMC)

Before your foot hits the gas. Before it even steps inside, the performance has already begun. At the Performance Manufacturing Center our engineers build openly and efficiently, designing their own workstations and programming their own assembly bots. This helps to ensure every Acura is precisely engineered – with a good dose of human common sense.

Two technicians work on a white Acura NSX at the PMC. / Deux techniciens travaillant sur une Acura NSX blanche au PMC.

Proof in Practice

Innovation is our obsession. You can see it across our entire model line. Every refinement, every tweak, every fine-tune results in better performance on the road.

A red Acura NSX driving cliff-side. Its Sport-Hybrid All-Wheel Drive system is visible. / Une Acura NSX rouge longeant une falaise. Son système de traction intégrale Sport Hybrid est visible.

Sport Hybrid Performance

We saw a better path for hybrids and took it, first engineering the NSX to deliver better fuel efficiency ratings without taking the foot off the gas, exhilaration-wise. Our revolutionary Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®) system is combined with an electric Twin Motor Unit (TMU), engineered to independently distribute torque to each rear wheel (front on NSX) for athletic acceleration and on-rails handling.

A red Acura NSX driving cliff-side. Its Sport-Hybrid All-Wheel Drive system is visible. / Une Acura NSX rouge longeant une falaise. Son système de traction intégrale Sport Hybrid est visible.
Passenger side view of a white Acura TLX driving at night - red, purple and yellow lights are blurred in the background by the motion of the car. // Vue du côté passager d’une Acura TLX blanche circulant la nuit avec en arrière-plan des lumières floues rouges, violettes et jaunes.

Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™

Acura engineers set out to bring the torque-vectoring technology of track vehicles to the street. That’s how they built the revolutionary all-wheel drive system that strategically distributes power among the wheels for a performance gain that you can truly feel. Today Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®) is available on the NSX, TLX, MDX and RDX models.

Passenger side view of a white Acura TLX driving at night - red, purple and yellow lights are blurred in the background by the motion of the car. // Vue du côté passager d’une Acura TLX blanche circulant la nuit avec en arrière-plan des lumières floues rouges, violettes et jaunes.

Engineering Highlights

Notable milestones in a legacy of performance-focused engineering.

Powertrain

i-VTEC

Intelligent Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (i-VTEC®) increases horsepower by advancing valve timing relative to engine RPM.

Variable Cylinder Management

VCM improves V-6 fuel efficiency by running on three cylinders during highway cruising.

Drive-by-Wire

The system varies throttle sensitivity to provide the appropriate response and feel to driving conditions.

Sport Hybrid 3-Motor System

Our exclusive drivetrain system uses electric power to improve efficiency, acceleration and handling.

Front, side-angled view of a silver Acura MDX kicking-up snow on a wintery road with blue sky and trees blurred by the speed of the vehicle. // Vue avant latérale d’un Acura MDX de couleur argent roulant à pleine vitesse qui soulève la neige sur son passage avec à l’arrière-plan un ciel bleu et des arbres.
10-Speed Automatic Transmission

Acura’s 10-speed automatic transmission, with Sequential SportShift and standard paddle shifters, takes full advantage of both turbocharged engines’ high-torque output, offering a wider ratio range, more discrete gears, four-gear direct downshifts and a lower first gear compared to the previous 9-speed automatic and 8-speed DCT.

Front, side-angled view of a silver Acura MDX kicking-up snow on a wintery road with blue sky and trees blurred by the speed of the vehicle. // Vue avant latérale d’un Acura MDX de couleur argent roulant à pleine vitesse qui soulève la neige sur son passage avec à l’arrière-plan un ciel bleu et des arbres.

CHASSIS & HANDLING

Super Handling All-Wheel Drive

SH-AWD® greatly enhances high-performance dry-road handling with the all-weather advantages of conventional all-wheel drive.

Sport Hybrid SH-AWD

The SH-AWD® effect is enhanced by twin electric motors to distribute torque for on-rails handling.

Active Damper System

Our Active Damper System adjusts to road and driving conditions every few milliseconds.

Agile Handling Assist

Braking individual wheels helps you smoothly and easily trace a desired line through a curve.

Front view of an MDX highlighting the Double Wishbone through the body. // Vue de face d'un MDX mettant en évidence le Double Wishbone à travers le corps.

Double Wishbone Suspension

Making a return on the 2021 TLX, the two wishbone-shaped control arms offer more precise control of the wheel chamber and enhance tire-to-ground contact for exceptional handling and cornering grip.

Front view of an MDX highlighting the Double Wishbone through the body. // Vue de face d'un MDX mettant en évidence le Double Wishbone à travers le corps.

Body Structure

ACE Body Structure

Our Advanced Compatibility EngineeringTM body construction is designed to help reduce and disperse force in front crashes with virtually all car sizes.

Multi-Material Space-Frame

The second-generation NSX goes beyond the all-aluminium space-frame of the original, using a breakthrough combination of materials for structural safety and handling performance.

Ablation Casting


Ablation casting combines the strength of forged aluminum with precise, complex shape-forming capability.

3D Bent and Quenched Fabrication

Three-dimensionally-bent-and-quenced ultra-high-strength steel tubing forms the upper portion of A-pillars and roof rails.

Testing the Hard Way

We don’t just talk power and precision, we put them to the ultimate tests. From sand to snow to the shake room, we put our vehicles through countless hours of some of the harshest conditions we can throw at them. Spoiler alert, they passed.

Front view of a white Acura RDX driving through the desert with clouds of sand billowing behind it. // Vue avant d’une Acura RDX blanche roulant dans le désert et créant des nuages de sable sur son passage.
Desert Sand Test
Desert Sand Test

By pushing our vehicles at top speeds, for extended durations, in the harshest desert terrain, we find out what makes them overheat. Then we fix it.

Front view of a white Acura RDX driving through the desert with clouds of sand billowing behind it. // Vue avant d’une Acura RDX blanche roulant dans le désert et créant des nuages de sable sur son passage.
Desert Sand Test

By pushing our vehicles at top speeds, for extended durations, in the harshest desert terrain, we find out what makes them overheat. Then we fix it.

Driver side shot of a black Acura NSX Supercar in a testing garage facility. An air stream flows above as the car as it is put through a wind tunnel test. // Vue du côté conducteur d’une supervoiture Acura NSX noire dans le garage d’une installation d’essai. Un flux d’air circule au-dessus du véhicule lors d’un essai en soufflerie.
Wind Tunnel Test
Wind Tunnel Test

The wind tunnel at PMC is where we test aerodynamics for performance and fuel efficiency and the sound levels of our vehicles. The combination of computer simulations and hands-on human ingenuity allows us to work and rework until we get it all just right.

Driver side shot of a black Acura NSX Supercar in a testing garage facility. An air stream flows above as the car as it is put through a wind tunnel test. // Vue du côté conducteur d’une supervoiture Acura NSX noire dans le garage d’une installation d’essai. Un flux d’air circule au-dessus du véhicule lors d’un essai en soufflerie.
Wind Tunnel Test

The wind tunnel at PMC is where we test aerodynamics for performance and fuel efficiency and the sound levels of our vehicles. The combination of computer simulations and hands-on human ingenuity allows us to work and rework until we get it all just right.

Front view of a white Acura TLX in a darkened garage with natural light shining through a gated wall behind. // Vue avant d’une Acura TLX blanche dans un garage sombre devant un mur qui laisse passer la lumière naturelle.
Dedicated Shake Room
Dedicated Shake Room

Turbulent movements in the shake room test durability and show our engineers how driving wears on the exterior and interior components of every model. Believe us, if there’s an internal rattle, we’ll find it – so you won’t.

Front view of a white Acura TLX in a darkened garage with natural light shining through a gated wall behind. // Vue avant d’une Acura TLX blanche dans un garage sombre devant un mur qui laisse passer la lumière naturelle.
Dedicated Shake Room

Turbulent movements in the shake room test durability and show our engineers how driving wears on the exterior and interior components of every model. Believe us, if there’s an internal rattle, we’ll find it – so you won’t.

Front, slightly angled view of a red Acura RDX driving around a track surrounded by trees and grass. // Vue avant latérale d’un Acura RDX rouge roulant sur une piste entourée d’arbres et de gazon.
Genteki Cross-Country Testing
Genteki Cross-Country Testing

The word genteki is a nod to our roots, inspired by the Japanese word “gen” (meaning “at the spot”) and “tekigou” (meaning “complying”). It’s an Acura-specific evaluation in which our team tests the powertrain, braking and handling of our vehicles against real-world curves and conditions.

Front, slightly angled view of a red Acura RDX driving around a track surrounded by trees and grass. // Vue avant latérale d’un Acura RDX rouge roulant sur une piste entourée d’arbres et de gazon.
Genteki Cross-Country Testing

The word genteki is a nod to our roots, inspired by the Japanese word “gen” (meaning “at the spot”) and “tekigou” (meaning “complying”). It’s an Acura-specific evaluation in which our team tests the powertrain, braking and handling of our vehicles against real-world curves and conditions.